Allahabad High Court Seeks UP Govt's Reply On Ex-MLA Mukhtar Ansari's Chargesheet Quashing Plea In Funds Misappropriation Case

The Allahabad High Court on Wednesday directed the State Government to file its counter affidavit within a period of six weeks on a petition filed by former MLA Mukhtar Ansari (presently in jail) seeking to quash a charge sheet filed against him by the Uttar Pradesh police in connection with a case of misappropriation of MLA Funds fund in the year 2012-13.

This order has been issued by the Bench of Justice Rahul Chaturvedi who was nominated by the Chief Justice to hear this plea after Justice Rajiv Gupta recused to hear the plea on April 20, 2022.

Ansari is a former M.L.A. of Mau Sadar constituency of Uttar Pradesh and he continued as M.L.A. from the year 1996 to March 2022 as in the recent election, he did not contest the election.

The case in brief

An FIR was lodged last year against Ansari mentioning therein that Ansari, as an M.L.A., in the years 2012, 2013 & 2014, allocated Rs. 25 Lacs from his M.L.A. fund to a school, however, when the inspection was done, it was found that the money had not been properly utilized by the said School.

It has been alleged that during the investigation, it had been found that the money which was obtained by the other accused persons, was in fact not utilized for the construction of the school.

Ansari has moved before the HC challenging the Chargesheet arguing that the only role which has been assigned to him is that he made a proposal for payment of his fund to the said school.

In his plea, Ansari has claimed that he has been in jail for 17 years and there had been no wrongdoing on his part. It has also been submitted by him that it is the job of the district administration to check the veracity of the recommendations made by him and the schools.

"The State Govt. has issued a Govt. Order in which it has been clearly laid down the procedure for the expenditure of M.L.A. fund and in the said Govt. Order, it has been clearly provided that the Chief Development Officer of the District is responsible for the disbursement of the fund and the only role of an M.L.A. is to recommend for the expenditure of the fund in his constituency which has been done by the applicant (Ansari)," his plea avers.